The 4th World Chess Cup has started today on August 28 in the Chess Academy of Ugra. It is a knock-out system with 128 participants; although due to some health problems two Grandmasters Vladimir Akopian (Armenia) and Wang Hao (China) could not come to play in the tournament at the very last moment. The competition is played by the representatives from 46 countries of the world with the participation of the following rating-favorites among them:

1. Sergey Karjakin (RUS, 2788)

2. Vassily Ivanchuk (UKR, 2768)

3. Shahriyar Mamedyarov (AZE, 2765)

4. Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR, 2764)

5. Vugar Gashimov (AZE, 2760)

6. Alexander Grischuk (RUS, 2746)

7. Teimur Radjabov (AZE, 2744)

8. Gata Kamsky (USA, 2741)

9. Peter Svidler (RUS, 2739)

10. Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS, Ugra, 2736).

All the chess players not depending on their rating start the game from the 1st round, i.e. from the 1/64 of the final. Each round except for the final consists of two games with the popular now FIDE time control (1 hour and 30 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes until the end of the game with additional 30 seconds for every move). There is one game per one day. If these two games are finished with score 1-1 (either two draws or each of the opponents wins 1 game each), the third day is a so-called tie-break– players have additional games with a shortened time control. According to Regulations at the beginning they play two games with the time control of 25 minutes for all the moves plus 10 seconds for every made move. If still there is no winner then there are other two games with an even shorter time control: 10 minutes until the end of the game plus 10 seconds per move. If theses two games are drawn, the opponents play two blitz-games with the time control of 5 minutes until the end of the game plus 3 seconds per move. If even these two mini matches do not determine the winner, then there is the last decisive game “until the result” (it is called «Armageddon»): white have 5 minutes and black – 4 (with additional 3 seconds per every move starting from the 61st one) where the draw is equaled to the victory of Black.

This is the system to determine the winners of the preliminary rounds. In the final the regulation is the same with the exception that instead of two games with “long” time control the finalists are to play four. Those who lose in semifinal do not leave Ugra either, but play an additional match (according to the same regulation as in the final) for the third place and the right to participate in the Candidates Matches. The first two “tickets” are given to the finalists.

Schedule of the World Cup:

28-30 August – 1/64 of the finals

31 August – 2 September – 1/32 of the finals

3-5 September – 1/16 of the finals

6-8 September – 1/8 of the finals

9-11 September – quarterfinals

12-14 September – semifinals

15 September – Rest Day

16-20 September – Finals

The total prize-fund of the World Cup is 1 million 600 thousand US dollars. The players knocked out after the first round will get 6000 USD, knocked out in 1/32 of the finals -10000 USD, in 1/16 – 16000 USD, in 1/8 – 25000 USD, in the quarterfinals – 35000 USD, in semifinals – 50000 USD, the one lost in the final will get 80000 USD and the winner of the World Cup will receive 120000 USD.

On the same day there was a press-conference of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra Governor Natalia Komarova and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

Natalia Komarova noted:

– We are striving for the good tradition to make Khanty-Mansiysk the place of the brightest chess event of the world. It is not only a huge event for our Okrug, but also a kind of tourism as well as the contribution into bringing up our young generation in the spirit high intellectual values.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said:

– For millions of chess amateurs as well as for the professionals who come here to participate in the biggest international tournaments Khanty-Mansiysk has become not only the chess center, but also the quality label of chess competitions. I would like to thank you for the Ugorian Chess Academy that you presented to the chess world. However, de facto de juro, it has gained the status of the international one, because during these three weeks the chess elite will be fighting for the right to play in the World Championship.

We would like to add that the online transmission of the games with comments of Grandmasters in two languages (Russian and English) is introduced for the first time in the history of chess competitions. You can follow the leading Grandmasters’ games on the World Cup official site - http://ugrasport.com.